Cushioned shoe sole



Oct. 25, 1955 s. lsRAEl.

CUSHIONED SHOE SOLE Filed March 31, 1952 S hr1.

INVENTOR. SAMUEL .Z' s194151.

Maa/dwz @AMM rraliwys United States Patent() CUSHIONED SHOE SOLE Samuel Israel, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application March 31, 1952, Serial No. 279,610

1 Claim. (Cl. 36-8.5)

The invention herein has relation to a shoe, and its object is to provide a shoe of novel and improved construction.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a shoe incorporating features and characteristics of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view, partially in elevation and partially broken away, of the shoe; and

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view, taken as on line 3-3 in Fig. 2.

With respect to the drawing and the numerals of reference thereon, denotes a shoe of ordinary or preferred type, 11 and 12 represent a sole and a heel, respectively, of said shoe, and 13 indicates an arch support of the shoe between the sole 11 and the heel 12. The arch support 13 is composed of cork, and the sole and heel are of construction as hereinafter to be set forth.

The shoe includes an insole 14 to which an upper 28, above the insole, and said sole 11 and heel 12, below the insole, are secured in such manner as to provide a concavity 15 between said sole and heel in which the arch support 15 is situated.

The sole 11 includes an upper slab 16 of cork, a lower slab 17 of cork, a compressible pad 18, of sponge rubber as disclosed, situated between the upper and lower slabs 16 and 17, and compression coil springs 19, eleven as shown, situated more or less loosely in openings 20 extending thicknesswise through the upper and lower slabs and the compressible pad. The opposite side and front and rear edges of the compressible pad 18 terminate Hush with the opposite side and front and rear edges of the upper and lower slabs 16 and 17.

The heel 12 includes an upper slab 21 of cork, a lower slab 22 of cork, a compressible pad 23, of sponge rubber as disclosed, situated between the upper and lower slabs 21 and 22, and compression coil springs 24, five as shown, situated more or less loosely in openings extending thicknesswise through said upper and lower slabs 21 and 22 and said compressible pad 23. The opposite side and front and rear edges of the compressible pad 23 terminate ush with the opposite side and front and rear edges of the upper and lower slabs 21 and 22.

The upper surface of the slab 16 of the sole and the upper ends of the compression coil springs 19 are engaged against the lower surface of the forward portion of the insole 14, and the upper surface of the slab 21 of the heel and the upper ends of the compression coil springs 24 are engaged against the lower surface of the rearward portion of said insole.

The opposite sides of the arch support 13, and the opposite sides and ends of the cork slabs and compressible pads of the sole 11 and the heel 12, are enclosed by covering material 26.

The lower surfaces of the slab 17 of the sole, the arch support 13 and the slab 22 of the heel -are all in a horizontal plane,r and an outsole 27, extending along yand engaging said lower surfaces, is engaged by the `lower ends of the compression coil springs 19 and 24.

The construction and arrangement will be such that the compressible pads 18, 23 and compression coil springs 19, 24, together, will withstand the weight of a wearer when standing Without collapsing 0f said compression coil springs. As the wearer walks, the rearward portion of the heel 12 will first strike the supporting surface, and thereafter the sole will come into contact with said supporting surface, first near the rear of said sole. Finally, the wearer will rock forwardly on the forward portion of the sole. The construction and arrangement also will be such that with each step, first the heel 12 will become collapsed to greater or less extent by reason of collapsing of the compression coil springs 24, and then the sole 11 will become collapsed to greater or less extent by reason of collapsing of the compression coil springs 19. When the sole and heel are placed under compression so that their coil springs become partially collapsed, reaction of said coil springs is upward in amount commensurate with the extent of their compression. Resilient giving of the sole and heel, followed by resilient upward reaction against said sole and heel, creates appreciable tendency toward relieving the leg muscles of a wearer of strains to which said leg muscles otherwise would be subjected. It has been found by experiment and experience that a shoe made according to the present invention possesses characteristics making the shoe capable of being quite advantageously worn by persons having leg muscles which are incapacitated and not suiiiciently strong to withstand, except by great effort, the ordeal of Walking upon shoes having soles and heels as now of commerce. The compressible pads 1S, 23 and the compression coil springs 19, 24 function to relieve leg muscles of strain both when the weight of a wearer while walking is forced down upon and lifted from the shoe.

What is claimed is:

In a shoe, an insole extending the length and width of said shoe, an upper above and secured to said insole, a sole below said insole including a first compressible pad, a first upper slab between, engaged with and secured to said first compressible pad and insole, a first lower slab below said first compressible pad in engagement therewith and secured thereto and first compression coil springs in the first compressible pad and the first upper and lower slabs disposed beneath and in engagement with said insole in substantially perpendicular relation to a lower surface thereof, a heel below said insole including a second compressible pad, a second upper slab between, engaged with and secured to said second compressible pad and insole, a second lower slab below said second compressible pad in engagement therewith and secured thereto and second compression coil springs in the second compressible pad and the second upper and lower slabs disposed beneath and in engagement with said insole in substantially perpendicular relation to a lower surface thereof, an arch support having an upper surface thereof engaged against and secured to said insole and spanning a distance between said sole and heel, an outsole lying substantially in a single plane engaged against and secured to a lower surface of said arch support and of each of said rst and second lower slabs and engaged against lower ends of said first and second compression coil springs, and a cover in enclosing relation to opposite sides of said arch support and opposite sides and exterior ends of said rst and second lower slabs.

(References on following page) UNITED STATES PATENTS Douglas Aug. 8, 1916 Wallace Feb. 13, 1917 Burns Nov. 13, 1923 Bunns July 22, 1924 4 Felkel Dec. 8, 1931 Hall Mar. 2, 1948 Braun Mar. 27, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain .Tune 28, 1935 

